Belle watched at the front gate as Neal left with the group for their royal tour of the city. Calum and Zana led them, a bit to the brother's dismay she noticed. Earlier that morning Neal had asked her if she was sure she didn't want to join but Belle assured him she was fine. She had wanted to visit the city. It was quite alluring, but Rumple wasn't going. Neither of them were surprised but Belle felt she needed to stay with Rumple in case he needed her for support. Though she wasn't sure how much of it he would accept.

Moments before:

"He probably doesn't want to do anymore walking after yesterday, but wouldn't it be better than staying in a palace with the two people who believe he's their son?"

Belle smiled. "I think he's going to look for clues to prove them wrong. And I don't want to leave him alone."

Neal understood and returned her smile. "Alright. Hey, if I can I'll bring you back something. I don't think the money from back home will work here but I'm going to see if I can use me being the prince's son to my advantage for some free gifts."

Belle almost smacked him on the arm. They both knew talking like that in front of Rumple would only make him feel worse, but they teased about it among themselves. She felt bad. Almost.

"Neal! Don't do that." She playfully scolded him.

"I was joking. Don't worry, I'll be on my best behavior." He smiled. "And don't worry about Hook. I'm keeping an eye on him."

Belle thanked him. Neither of them liked that the pirate was here with them but the further he stayed from Rumple the better they both felt.

"Thank you. Now go and have fun. We'll see what we can find here."

"Alright. Take care of dad."

"I will." She smiled.

Belle turned around once everyone left her sight and headed back inside, hoping Rumple was awake by now. Usually it was Belle who would sleep in but considering the recent circumstances, she wasn't surprised Rumple was still asleep when she woke up. So she quietly got ready and left him be.

She began up the stairs until she heard her name. Look back at the voice she saw Rumple at bottom of the steps. He was dressed in his Armani suit.

"Rumple, your clothes."

He glanced down at them. "Yes, the king and queen had them washed for us. I believe your clothes are clean as well."

She was dressed in a lighter more relaxing dress than the night before and felt comfortable enough not to change back to her clothes from Storybrooke. She looked over him and while she wasn't a therapist, it was easy to understand why Rumple would change back. He believed that the more he pretended none of this was real, the easier it would be to believe it. Meaning he couldn't dress the part of the lost prince.

"Where are you headed?" She asked, heading back down the steps until she reached him.

"I was just going to look around. Are you not joining the others?"

"I wanted to be here in case you needed me."

"Belle-"

"No." She stopped him. "Rumple, you need me right now. Please don't push me away."

He opened his mouth to try and stop her but knew it was pointless. He should know by now that he couldn't get rid of her. He smiled. "I'm sorry you missed the tour because of me."

"Don't you dare be sorry, mister." She smiled. "Besides, Eliron will still be there tomorrow. And maybe we can go together?"

He gave her a kiss. "Of course."

"So, where were you wanting to start?"

"Belle, I don't want you to concern yourself with this."

Those were his words, but she knew what he really meant. Just because he refused to believe in this game it didn't mean she wasn't allowed to hope. He knew she always wanted better for him. How many times had she told him that she truly believe he could be a better person? The curse was gone now and so many possibilities were open for Rumple to become the man she always saw in him.

She would admit that perhaps she jumped onto the idea of him being a prince too quickly. Once Calum arrived she had been so busy finding the book Mother Superior stole that she hadn't thought about what Rumple might be going through. Which was why she refused to go on the tour. Even if he didn't want her there with him, she wasn't going to leave him alone. She wasn't going to go and chase the idea by exploring more of his possible home while he remained behind hating every bit of it.

"Well I am, and it's okay. Just tell me what you want me to do." She smiled.

He didn't want her doing anything. While he would love to find something, anything to disprove the lunacy, he didn't want to take away Belle's hope of him being better. He knew it wasn't possible, but the look of hope on her face was too beautiful to destroy. He sighed, giving up the battle. He knew better than to think he could get rid of her that easily.

"I took the privilege of asking where the library was. If you want, you can go look there."

Belle's eyes lightened with anticipation. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "It's down that hallway and up a few steps. I'm sure it won't be hard for you to find."

She smiled giving him one last kiss and left in the direction he pointed. The smile Rumple forced vanished when he couldn't see her anymore. He let out a held breath. Now if only he could figure out where he should start looking.

The library was big. It wasn't the best word to use but Belle felt like it fit. There were shelves and shelves of book. It was larger than the library she had as a child or the one Rumple had given her. And it was beautiful. She took a moment to appreciate the beauty before picking up the first book she saw. It laid on a table and though she couldn't read the title, from the images it looked to be a fairy tale book for children.

She frowned. The words weren't in English. She wondered what chance she would have finding any information for Rumple if she couldn't read their language. But to her luck, after flipping through twenty books, she realized that some books were in English. She guessed it was a common tongue among all realms. Or she was luckier with books than even she realized.

She smiled at a memory when Rumple once told her that she had her own magic when it came to books. She could always find exactly what she needed in less than ten books, as if the books were drawn to her fingers. It was fun to joke about, but Belle had to admit that at times, it got….strange.

She gently ran her fingers along the spines of books that were still shelved, glancing quickly for familiar words. After a few minutes she had a stack of books on the table. They were a mixture of magic, magic history, stories (mostly for children), law and science. But she hadn't found one she was interested in yet. She was intrigued by the others, but she was looking for a specific book. One that told her the history of Eliron. But she found nothing among the shelves.

Belle found it odd that a great city as this wouldn't have a book on its history. Then she remembered. This realm was hidden. Eliron and its city and any other city that might be in this realm were all hidden. Calum was specific on that note. It was why they had to use the Blue Fairy's wand to keep the portal open.

Ruel Ghorm.

Now Belle remembered exactly what she was suppose to be looking for. With the excitement of sending Calum home, their own unexpected arrival, and meeting the king and queen, Belle had forgotten about the book she read. The memory of the Council of Fabled Creatures and reading Ruel Ghorm's name came rushing back to her. She began looking harder among the books. She weaved through columns and aisles, scanning as quickly as possible. Belle told Neal when they were searching Mother Superior office that the book just felt important. In a bad way. And she needed to find it.

She soon found her way to the back of the large room. She walked out of another set of aisles and there, her eyes landed on it. A podium with a glass cover. And in it rested a book. She held her breath and slowly walked up towards it. She was certain it was the book she was looking for. It was open in the very middle, fitting for a display. She felt around the podium, hoping to find a way to unlock the case. She almost laughed. Like Neal had said, she wasn't the type for breaking and entering, but going over her history, that proved false.

While she was suppose to be cleaning back when she worked for Rumple, she had spent most of her time exploring and opening any door or chest she found. She even 'broke' into Hook's ship. Most of the time she was just too curious for her own sake, but as in the case with Hook's ship and Blue's office, it was to help Rumple in some way. Though breaking and entering was wrong, she always felt that the interest of others ranked higher than a few privacy laws. Was that bad?

After a few moments of searching around the podium, Belle found a small latch and was soon able to remove the glass case. She carefully set it on the floor and looked back, making sure no one was coming in to see what she was doing. She was alone. Seeing that she was safe, she carefully lifted the book and carried it over to the table.

It was the same exact book. She just knew it. The cover was in much more pristine condition that now she could actually read it. It was in the Common Tongue, thankfully. The words read, The Beginning of the Council to the Making of the Realms, and More.

Belle, thrilled her search was over, began at the beginning.

Neal and the others spent hours on the tour. They looked at stalls and ate food at the marketplace. He looked for something for Belle and his father, and then decided something just for Belle. He wasn't sure his father would appreciate a gift at the moment. Also, he was a hard man to shop for. There wasn't any books being sold like he had hoped, but Zana told him that the palace had a large library Belle could use. So he settled for a handcrafted necklace.

When Calum told them that anything they wanted was compliments of the Majesties, Snow and Regina bought a necklace, Hook bought a dagger (for 'protection' he claimed), and Henry got a slingshot. Emma and Neal were hesitant on it, as was Regina, but Hook kept pushing and Emma caved in. It didn't help them that Neal couldn't say no to Henry.

Afterwards they spent time simply enjoying the view and the weather. It felt like the perfect autumn day. Not too hot and not too cold. There were a few fall leaves that found their way to the stone walkways, adding even more beauty to the scenery. The group even got to meet and mingle with a few of the locals. They were rather nice and Neal was surprised by their hospitality, making Emma and Regina feel bad about their treatment of Calum when he arrived in Storybrooke. They apologized for locking him up in jail. Neal laughed.

Eventually they all went their separate ways and Neal went to hang out with Henry around the trees.

"Dad, this place is so cool! Was the Enchanted Forest ever like this? I asked Grandma and Grandpa and they said kind of. What do you think?"

Henry was climbing one of the trees and was now dangling upside down from one of the branches. Neal was thankful it wasn't too high up but he told Henry to take it easy and not fall.

"Honestly?"

"Of course."

"I think this place is better. But I grew up in the Ogre Wars until I got to the Land Without Magic, and then I spent time in Neverland for a few hundred years so…my opinion might not be best. I think anywhere is better."

Henry straightened himself up from the branch looking at his dad with a sullen expression. "Oh."

"Hey, don't worry about it kid." Neal smiled, looking up at his son. "Now get down from there so you don't hurt yourself."

"I'm good. Besides, I didn't think you would mind? I did climb a few trees in Neverland, you know."

"I know, but after buying you that slingshot, I don't want Emma mad at me if you fall. Or Regina."

"Are you afraid of her?" Henry laughed.

"Something you'll learn in life is that you should be afraid of any mother when their child is hurt."

Henry smiled. "Alright."

He grabbed a branch and then another, working his way down. The third branch he grabbed, however, snapped. Henry didn't have a good footing at the time and his other hand was halfway through searching for another one, so he began to fall until he hit the ground. Neal ran over when he screamed in pain and to his dismay, Emma and Regina were both on their way towards them. As was Calum and everyone else.

"Henry!" His mothers cried.

"Henry, are you okay?"

"Ah!" He sat up, his dad helping him. His right arm was broken.

"What happened?!" Regina glared at Neal, ready to hurt him if needed. She knew the man was Henry's father and wouldn't ever hurt Henry, but this was her son and he was hurt. Someone had to pay.

"It was an accident." Neal said back. Albeit harsh, but he was making sure she understood. He wasn't one for people getting that angry without reason, and he always felt Regina had a stick up ass. But she truly did care about Henry and that's what was important.

"Is he alright?" Calum asked, making his way towards the boy, which earned him a fierce glare from the mayor.

"His bloody arm is broken. I don't think that's okay." Hook said.

"I can help."

"Like hell you will." Regina spat.

"Regina, can you heal him?" Emma asked.

"I might." The mayor responded.

"Someone heal him!" Neal said, hoping to end any argument before it started.

"I can." Calum said, reaching out his hand to Henry's arm before it was smacked away.

"I'm not letting you touch him!" Regina said.

"Regina!" Emma yelled. With their shouting and arguing, they were starting to gather attention. "Can you heal him or not?"

She sighed, thinking over their options. They both knew that Emma couldn't. She barely knew how to use it and doing a complex healing spell wasn't in her abilities. It took her near forever just to light a fire. And Regina was the only other person with magic, unless they counted Calum but they weren't even sure if he had any, despite his assurances that he could help.

"If you won't heal him, I will." Calum spoke up, not seeing what the issue was.

"I don't trust you!"

"Of course you don't." He replied to Regina. "And I don't trust you, but someone needs to help the boy. He can't live with one arm."

"I disagree." Hook joked. Neal shot him a look telling him it wasn't the right time or place, but the pirate kept smirking.

"Now if I heard correctly, when asked if you could heal him, you said 'you might', whereas I can. The boy is in pain and someone needs to heal him. Do you want a possibility, or a guarantee?"

The two stared each other down, neither willing to back down. But Henry was hurt and while Regina didn't trust a bone in Calum, she knew she had to be logical. She didn't know how to heal. She had practiced using her magic to hurt and kill people, not heal them. And Emma as they already knew didn't have the capability. If Rumplestiltskin was here Henry would already be healed, but that wasn't an option either. Meanwhile her son was laying on the ground, clutching his arm and tightly closing his eyes as he leaned against his father, trying not to think about the pain.

"Fine." She hissed.

Without anymore hesitation, Calum knelt down and placed his hand over the broken arm. Yellow strands of magic flowed from his forearm and wrapped themselves around Henry's arm. The boy didn't flinch as the elf's magic began to work, healing his bone and skin. He figured Calum was making it so he didn't feel any pain. Soon, his arm was fixed and everyone relaxed.

Everyone, but Regina, thanked the elf. Neal and Emma were both grateful for Calum's help and Henry just smiled at him, acting like nothing happened.

When everyone went on with the tour Regina watched Calum as he walked away, thinking about what she had seen. Though her old mentor no longer had magic, he knew more about it than she did, a fact she hated to admit. And she knew he would want to know what she saw.

It took a while but Rumple finally found the study, or a study. No doubt Belle was still engrossed in the library. While he appreciated her help, he wanted to be alone. Curse or not, he often found himself distracted by her. Something he couldn't afford at the moment. He started looking through drawers and shelves and even into little trinkets, looking for…anything really. The room looked somewhat crowded, but after a closer inspection he noticed it was the flowers and roots that decorated the room that took the space. He grimaced at the beauty. He didn't despise it. He just didn't want to see it at the moment. But it was rather hard to avoid.

So far, after just a few hours, his search proved fruitless. The palace looked to be an ordinary palace and he found nothing that was remotely incriminating or could help him prove anything wrong. He sighed. What was worse was that he hadn't found anything about their magic. Though he knew why. To learn about magic you had to see it and experience it. You couldn't just read about it in a book and know everything. Magic was something that had to be felt. But he knew that wasn't an option anymore. He growled.

"Have you found what you're looking for?"

Rumple slammed the lid of a decorated box and spun around, his fear shown in his eyes. King Eoin was standing in the doorway, smiling. He took a few steps forward.

"If you asked, I'm sure I could get it for you."

During this conflict, Men had decided to live in a land without magic, but only half of their kind chose this. The other half, believing magic made life easier, chose to stay in the world of enchanted creatures. This land came to be known as the Enchanted Forest; where men, fairies, dwarves, and all other magical creatures lived. The land where the other half of men lived was broken off and became its own realm, giving the name The Land Without Magic. The land that also held the Elves and Goblins were broken off as well and made into its own realm. This was known as the Midlands. Thus, after its short beginning, the Council of Fabled Creatures was dismantled.

Belle looked up from the page. That was the last paragraph she read of a story about, simply put, betrayal. If what she read was any indication of the truth, she realized Rumple was right. She quickly closed the book and gathered it in her arms, jumping up from the chair to leave. But she was stopped in her tracks when she saw who was at the doorway of the library.

"Your Majesty." She whispered.

"Belle." Aisling said, looking shocked by the younger woman's behavior. "Are you alright?"

Belle tried to cover the book as best as she could with her arms, hoping the queen wouldn't realize what she had done. The book was kept safe under a glass box. Surely it wasn't meant to be touched.

"Oh, um, yes. I was just…"

"Reading?"

Belle tried to smile. "Yes."

"A good book?" Aisling smiled.

"Yes."

Belle wasn't sure why she suddenly felt afraid. The queen and her husband have been nothing but nice to them. Perhaps it was fear of being punished for stealing the book, though technically the book and her were still in the library. But if the elfin woman in front of her really was Rumple's mother, than Belle knew she shouldn't be afraid of being punished. How many times had Rumple caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to and didn't punish her?

It wasn't until Aisling was a few feet from her that Belle realized that she was walking towards her. It wasn't until she held out her hand that Belle realize that she noticed the book hidden by her arms. And she knew what book it was.

"May I?" Aisling politely asked.

Belle hesitated but handed the book to the queen, looking somewhat ashamed of what happened. But it didn't matter. She found some of the answers she was looking for. Unless the queen had magic that could erase her memory. Now Belle was worried for a whole other reason.

"Your Majesty, I-"

"It's okay."

Her words stunned Belle. She stood there confused by the queen's response.

"What?"

"While this book was put away on display for its preservation, I know you wouldn't damage it. You have a lover's touch. Especially when it comes to books. You love knowledge, don't you?"

Belle almost forgot to answer. She nodded her head. "Yes. I love learning."

Aisling gently laughed. "I can tell. I can see the curiosity behind your eyes. You don't have to be afraid. I'm not going to punish you for taking the book out. Like I said, I know you won't harm it."

"You're not mad at me?" Belle asked. She watched Aisling take the book back to its podium and place the glass cover over it once more.

"No, not mad. Curious myself." She walked back to Belle.

"What do you mean?"

"Out of all the books you could have read, why that one?" The queen asked.

Belle took a moment to think. Trying to come up with a proper answer. Should she tell the queen about the other book? The one Belle realized must be a copy? Or about the Blue Fairy?

"I just felt drawn to it." She finally said.

It wasn't a lie. She was drawn to it. She was drawn with the curiosity…no, the need to know what it said. To know why Blue took the book from her and hid the information with a spell. But now she knew why. She knew exactly why Blue didn't want her reading anything about it. But she also wondered how the copy of a book hidden in a realm found it's way to Rumple's pawnshop. She knew he gathered many strange relics from his deal, but he never had any association with this realm, with Eliron. That much was clear. Unless he became a far better actor than before, but she could always see through him.

Aisling didn't respond. She seemed to be watching Belle. It wasn't a predatory stare nor was it curiosity. Belle couldn't quite place it.

"Belle," The queen said when she finally spoke up. "Would you mind sharing lunch with me tomorrow?"

"Belle stared at the queen, wondering if it was some sort of trick. "Um, yes. That sounds great." She tried to smile.

The queen smiled and led the beauty out of the library, gently closing the doors behind them.

"What are you doing here?" Rumple asked. He knew it was a silly question as this was the king's home, but he wasn't going to seem weak. Not in front of this man. Whether he had magic or not.

"I was hoping to find you. I was hoping we could talk?"

"About what? Me being your son? Well I can tell you now that you have certainly reached a senile age. I'm not sure what game you're playing but I want no part of it." Rumple sneered.

Last night after going to bed he came to the conclusion that perhaps Eoin and Aisling did have a son. A son they lost long ago and were looking for. Rumple could respect that. Easily. Their mistake was thinking it was him. Yes, he lived for a long time, but if they did their research they would learn that he wasn't born an elf. And the magic he had, once, was acquired from a curse. Why anyone would believe a former Dark One to be their son was beyond him, and he didn't feel like indulging in their fantasies.

"I understand if you don't believe me and I don't want to upset you-"

"You did that when you sent your little servant to bring me and my family here."

He wanted to say 'against their will' but he knew that wasn't true. And surprisingly, he couldn't lie about it. As Calum had said, it was everyone's curiosity that they were sucked into the portal in the town hall since they felt the need to know everything. But whether the Charmings and the others were part of this trip or not, it didn't matter. Calum would have still found a way to bring him to Eliron. Everyone else was an accident.

"Again, I truly apologize for that."

"Because it wasn't everyone else you were wanting." Rumple continued.

Eoin opened his mouth and then closed it. He decided his next words wouldn't be wise and they certainly wouldn't help. He knew he couldn't get his son to listen if he was angry. So he had to solve that problem first.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked.

Rumplestiltskin scoffed. Sending him and everyone else back home would be nice, but he already knew the answer to that one.

"You can leave me be."

He was ready to walk past the king but he was in the way of the door. Rumple began to feel small bouts of anxiety, though he wasn't sure if that was because of the king or the lost of his curse. Since this was the first time he'd felt anxiety after losing his magic, he figured it was the king. So he had to wait for the man to leave.

But Eoin stood there, not moving. He looked at Rumple, his eyes not leaving his form. Then he asked, "If you do not believe you are our son, than who do you believe you are?"

Rumple almost laughed, but the question hit a old rusty cord. "I am many things."

"Such as?"

Rumple shrugged. "Crocodile, Imp, Dark One."

"You've had a few names."

Rumplestiltskin sneered. "None of which is 'your son'."

It was then he walked past the king. This time he didn't look back.

Next in Chapter 11-The Softened Whispering in the Wind: Belle tries to talk to Rumplestiltskin, Calum discusses issues with Aisling and Eoin, Regina and Rumple talk about magic, and Neal contemplates his father's situation. Meanwhile, someone makes their first move against the realm.